The Bone Broth Craze

I am aware that home cooks and chefs are crazy for bone broth. What I didn’t anticipate is how much this craze would increase the costs of bones. It appears everyone wants to get in on the bone broth craze!

I shop at a local chain of grocery stores that are similar to Whole Foods. To protect their identity, let’s call them ‘Good Weather.’ I shop at the ‘Good Weather’ stores because they have organic everything and in their meat counter, that is not self serve, either the meats or fish are organic, no hormone added, or sustainable.

I know the names of the people behind the meat counter and they know me. So here is a recent exchange:

Me; Hi Paul. How’s it going?

Paul; Hi Haralee. What can I do for you?

Me; Paul I need a couple pounds of meat bones and a few pounds of chicken feet.

Paul; I am sorry I can’t sell you that.

He looks unhappy and is giving me straight eye contact.

Me; Paul have I been banned from the store?

Paul; No nothing like that. We have to save all our bones for the chefs.

Me; What?

Paul; You want to make broth?

Me; Yes!

Paul leans over and says in a quite voice, “I can spare a couple pounds of each but don’t tell anyone.”

Me; I nod my head.

Who knew deals are being made with bones? I won’t shock anyone on the cost of the bones but let’s just say I might as well buy beef with a bone and save them for the price of the beef bones. The chicken feet, once almost free, are more expensive than the price per pound of a whole chicken!

Paul wraps my bones in 2 brown paper packages. He checks his coworkers as he hands me the packages. I quickly leave the store.

My best recipe for bone broth is using the highest quality bones you can afford, (I can’t believe I am saying this about bones) throw them and water in a slow cooker for 9 hours. Fill freezer ready jars and you have great broth.

Have you joined the bone broth craze? Have you reeled from the sticker shock of bones?

Author: Haralee Weintraub

I am an experienced traveler, breast cancer survivor and entrepreneur. My company Haralee.Com sleepwear makes beautiful sleepwear for women who have night sweats and or travel. In this blog I muse about life and hope you will comment and join the conversation!

Good grief – you’d think you’d asked for cocaine! We used to buy chicken necks for our dog and then they became a commodity that could be sold at a higher price – it was easier to buy the chicken itself. Fortunately I don’t make my own soup much so I won’t have to wear dark glasses and have a secret codeword to buy those bones 🙂

Hi Haralee! Nope! I’m not a fan although I do use Dr. Axe’s collagen formula in my daily smoothie that is supposed to contain bone broth. Does that mean the supplement will go up too? But then I’ll bet you’re right it is just the current “fad” and soon people will be on to something new. Of course that doesn’t mean the price will ever go back down but at least you won’t have to hide it! ~Kathy

Kathy you made me sigh. I wonder about the supplement price increasing with the popularity of the source. Even if it looses popularity you are most likely correct the price of bones won’t come down again! I appreciate your comments.

I totally get it! I used to be able to buy chicken feet at WF for $1.29 a pound and now they don’t even have them! I just buy the meat now and save all the bones in a gallon freezer bag, then make broth when I have a full bag.

Of course, you make your own. You’re amazing! My daughter is expecting a second little one! We have a “picnic” in there! That is Aviva’s name for the penis! She is 2 1/2! Haha! Anyway, Sarah uses bone broth (we buy it) in her soups and cooking. She has me hooked on it now. Until I read your blog, I had no idea it was a big thing for restaurants, too.

Congratulations!!! That is adorable about the picnic.
Bone broth is really big, right now until the next food wave comes out. It’s almost like a secret handshake or a deal in the alleyway to get organic bones! Thanks for your comments Ellen.

I know we always fight over the turkey carcass for soup or broth! I will sound like an old lady that I am but the cost of chicken is high! I will buy antibiotics/hormone free if I don’t like the price of organic chicken. I was just hankering to make some crispy chicken wings and $3.99/pound? I remember when wings were .79/lb! Yes I am that old!!Thanks for commenting Alana.

I had no idea!!! I don’t eat meat (chicken and fish only), so I’m not competing for any meat bones. And the thought of cooking up a batch of chicken feet, well, all I can think of is, “Double, double, toil and trouble…” 🙂

I know Roxanne I was grossed out at first with the chicken feet. I never took them at Dim Sum but they have little fat and really make a nice rich broth. I appreciate you not increasing the price of beef bones by abstaining! I appreciate your comments.

Yes, I have been seeing all the recipes using “bone broth” and thought, didn’t we used to call them plain old soup bones? Why does everything have to be so difficult these days…and WHAT pray tell do you do with “chicken feet”..and maybe I don’t want to know…

Really it is just using high quality or organic bones to make broth. Cooking them for a long time makes the broth rich and tasty. That said, more people wanting to make it the higher the demand, the higher the cost and more stealth exchanges like I had at my market! Thanks Shari for commenting.

I don’t know why Ive resisted so mightily but I have 🙂 I have a couple close friends who invited me to go with them to the health food store for bone broth every single week. Is it the name? Is it the fact it’s called broth and it’s 1,000,000° already in Austin? I don’t now 🙂 perhaps I’m just a rebel!!

I am a world traveler, breast cancer survivor and entrepreneur. My company Haralee.Com sleepwear makes beautiful sleepwear for women who have night sweats and or travel. In this blog I muse about life and hope you will comment and join the conversation!